Like Father, Like Son

Every once in a while someone will ask me, "Do you ever feel outnumbered being the only girl in a house full of boys?"

The honest answer is, "Yes, sometimes."

Of course, it would be nice to see some pink around here, somewhere other than the medicine cabinet or my pajama drawer.  And, I wonder what it would be like to hear the sing-song of a delicate voice rising over her basket of dolls, filling the home with sweetness. 

But, as you know, boys engineer their own "special" sounds (ahem). Go ahead, scan your auditory files. The one marked boys. Mmm Hmmm. Do you hear what I hear?? They rev up their trucks (love how the spit flies on that one), have an array of exploding, crashing and firing audibles and unabashedly use their armpits as noise makers. I'm pretty used to it all by now. And, in a strange way, while I enjoy a good bit of silence in my day, the home feels quite lonely when they are gone, without their "creativity" echoing off of the walls.

I'm never bothered by the question concerning the absence of a little girl in our family. Mourning the fact that I do not have another female to unite forces with is a little bit like telling Michelangelo that the sky in the Sistine Chapel is a little too blue, or suggesting to Paula Deen that she put a little less frosting on her cupcakes.  My family is God's masterpiece, and every day I get to savor it!  

One specific aspect I just love about the boys is observing them, in their day-to-day activities and discovering the traits that they have clearly inherited from their wonderful father.  (They have a few of mine too, but I'm not here to discuss their mastery of the eye-roll or the speed at which they can consume anything chocolate.)

This little pleasure truly hugged my heart a few weeks ago, when I captured a couple of moments between Charlie, our nine month old, and his dad, my thirty-something year old. (He, He.)

Steve often connects with the boys through teasing.  And, in his opinion, it's never too early to start.  After holding Charlie for a while, he set him down in the snow to see what he what he would think of his new frosty environment.

As you can see, he wasn't impressed!  Actually, he wasn't cold or wet, but royally miffed that his dad had put him down for just a moment.

This might be a slight glimmer of his mother here, my "Are you kidding me?" look. 

Then, he locks eyes with his father, and for a moment hope is restored.

With papa creeping closer, the tears begin to dry.

Scooped up out of the winter and into daddy's arms, and out comes the smile.

Good job, daddy! You got me back!

I found it funny how in the next few moments I was able to capture a couple of shots of this adorable duo, and how similar their expressions appeared to be:

Serious.

Pensive.

Hmmm, what would this one be?? Mystified? Surprised? Relieved?

Tickled.

Cherished.